Atomizer control



Y axially in the spray-head.

Parenteel Feb. 19, 1935 uu'rsusr.9.T1a:sl

` 1,991,961 'AT'oMIzER CONTROL Joy B. schmitt, Toledo,- ohimassignor to The De Vihl'biss (Jom'11a`ny,v Toledo, Ohio, a corporation -of O io . `Application August 10, 1933, Serial No. 684,597

*i 3 Claims.

This invention relatesv kto spraying devices j of the `type Vcommonly used for the spraying,

atomized form, oftoilet and other liquids,1andv particularly to those havingvalves operable to gh-tly close V'the passages leading from .the liquid receptacles to prevent leakage of liquidV from the receptacles should theybefplacedin other than upright position., I,

. The invention relates particularly to improvements` on the atomizer control disclosed in United StatesLetters Patent No. 1,897,679, issued February 14, :1933.

The primaryxobject of the invention is the provision. of means inacontrol of the type disclosed in said patent, wherebythe valve is automatically opened and maintained open by pneumatic pressure present in the atomizer when and vonly when it isbeing treated to discharge material therefrom.

v The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while in its broader aspect it isl capable of embodiments in numerous forms, oneembodiment thereof is illustrated in the a'ccompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 isa central vertical section of a device embodying the invention, with parts in full, and showing the valve means in normal liquid passage closing position, and Fig. 2 is a section of the device taken on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, 1 y designates the liquid receptacle of an atomizer or spraying device embodyngsthe invention, the neck 2 Vof which is closed by a spray-head 3 attached thereto in the usual or any suitable manner.

, The spray-head 3` has the customary sprayy nozzle 4 provided with a mixing chamber 5 andY discharge -orice 6 therefrom, andhaving air and liquid discharge passages 7 and 8, respectively, leading into said chamber. `The liquid passage 8 leads into the side of a bore or passage V9 provided The lower end of the bore 9 opens into an enlargement 10 provided in the lower end portion of the head `3, and a plug orbushing-member 11 is threaded into the lowerend of thisA enlargement and cooperates with the enlargement 10 f `to form a valve chamber. The upper end of the bushing 11 forms an annular valve-seat 12, while the upper end wall of the enlargement 10 forms an annular valve-seat` 13. The upper end of the bore 9 has a reduced axial extension 14 opening at its top centrally into the bottom portion of a recess 15 provided in the upper end of the head 3.

A Valve-stem 16 is mounted for reciprocatory movements in the bore extension 14 and extends Aitsxinner endinto thechamber 23, and-an air at its upper endinto the recess 15. and at its lower end down through the bore 9, theyalve 10 and bushing 11. The stem.16 has a valve venlargement 17 Within the chamber 10 and this lenlargement is provided withtwo opposed conical faces 5 one adapted to `seat Vagainst the Valve-seat 13 when the stem is raised, and the `other being adapted to seat'against the` valve-seat 12 `when the stem is lowered within 'the spray-head. `VA spring 18 acts on theValve-stem within the recess `10 or, chamber 15 andnormally holdsthe valve-stem in raisedposition `with .the valve enlargement 17 seating against the -seat 13, thus normally `closing thecc-mmunication between the AAvalve chamber 10 and Ythe bore 9 into which the liquid dis- 15 chargepassage 8 opens.

The lowerwendof the `valve-stem v16-gprcjects freelydownthroughthe bushing 11a-ncl carries a tube 19, which extends'down to nearthe bottom of thereceptacle l with its .lowere'nd in sub-` merged relation with the liquid therein, aswell understood in the art.` The passageway `in the tube 19 communicates Vat its upper end with a passageway 20 disposed axially for a distancein'v the stem 16 and having its upper end communicating with the interiorof the-chamber `10fbetween the two seating `laces of the valve enlargement V17.

A plunger 21 is mounted inr the outer Vend of the head recess 15 and bears-*on` the outer end of the stem 16,` so that aninward pressure :exerted., .cnY the plunger r willimpart movement to the stem 'against the, pressure ofthe spring 18 and will cause the `valve 17 vto lower and'eflect an 'opening of the communication between the chamber 10 and bore 9 and to .close communication between said chamber andthe upper interior portion ofthe receptacle 1 around the valve-stem through thebushing 11. y A cap 22 is-mountedyon theupper end ofthe spray-head 3, beingthreaded'thereon inthe pres- Y entlinstance, and cooperates with the upper end of `thehead andthe plunger 21 to form a chamber 23. The airpassage '1 is angled and opens at supply passage 24 `also opens intosaid chamberat one end and has communication at its opposite end through a tube 25, or other suitable connection, with a source of air pressure supply of any suitable type, as, for instance, Va hand-operated compression bulb. It is thus apparent that the communication between the air pressure supply source and the air discharge tube 7 of the nozzle is through the chamber 23, so that pressure therein is exerted on the plunger 21 against the tension 55 of the spring 18. The tension of such spring is so regulated that when the air pressure is surricient for operating the atomizer to effect a spraying of liquid therefrom, it will also be sufficient tolower the valve-stem to unseat the valve with respect to the seat 13 and seat it with respect to the seat l2. It will be understood, of course, that this movement of the valve takes place before the sprayingk action, as the latter is dependent on the opening of the communication between the chamber 10 and bore 9 and the closing of the communication between said chamber and the receptacle through the bushing 11. A passage 26 is provided between the inner end of the recess l5 and the atmosphere through the head 3 to form an air vent for said recess at the inner side of the plunger.

In the use of the device, the liquid discharge passage 8 is normally closed to the valve chamber 10 and to the interior of the liquid receptacle by the seatingnf the valve 17 against the valveseat 13, due to the action of the spring 18. When air under pressure is supplied to the air discharge passage 7 throughv the air chamber 23 to effect an operation of the atomizer, it rst acts on the plunger Y2l to lower'the valve-stem 16 to effect an opening of the communication between the chamber 10 and liquid discharge passage 8 and incidentally to effect a seating of the lower face of the valve against the seat 12, which latter closes communication between the chamber l0 andthe interior of the receptacle except through the stem passage 20 and tube 19. Should the air within the receptacle, when the device is not in use, become expanded, for instance byV reason of setting in the sun, the pressure thus created enters the chamber 10 through the space between the bushing ll and valve-stem and enters the stem passage 20, thus partially equalizing the pressure of the air on the liquid within and without the stem and tending to prevent the liquid from being forced into the chamber 10. When the valve-stem is depressed, communication between the chamber l0 and discharge passage 8 is open, thereby relieving the air pressure within the chamber 10 and also momentarily from the interior of the receptacle 'until the vvalve has been lowered sufficiently to seat against the valveseat 12. The movement of the valve between the two seats is not very great, but it is found that itis adequate to suiiciently relieve the air pressure within the receptacle during the downward movement of the valvefrom closed to fullopened position to prevent liability of the liquid within the receptacle being forced out of the spray-head by such air pressure.

The construction and operation of the present device is the same as that of thev device in the above-mentioned Patent 1,897,679, with the exception that in the patent the valve and its stern are manually lowered from normal seatingposition, whereas, in the present. case, the lowering of the valve is automatically effected by pneumatic action, due to pressure in a part of the head when the atomizeris being operated to eiect a spraying action. This is an important change over the construction of said patent, inasmuch as it makes the opening of the valve entirely automatic and relieves the operator of such action.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specic arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, Vwhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. In a hand portable and operated atomizcr for spraying liquids, a container having an opening in its top, a head mounted on said container in closing relation to its opening, a discharge nozzle on one side of said head, an air pressure supply connection attached to a side 0f the head in angularly spaced relation to said nozzle, said head having a top portion with a plunger receiving chamber therein having an open upper end, a closure for the upper end oftsaid chamber, said head also having a liquid supply passageextending from the bottom portion of the receptacle through the opening. thereof to said nozzle and having an air passage leading from said air supply connection to the top of said chamber and a smaller air passage leading from the top of lsaid chamber to said nozzle, a plunger in said chamber with one side exposed to the Atop of the chamber, a valve in and normally closing said liquid vsupply passage, and means responsive to air'pressurein the top of said chamber to open said valve when a predetermined air pressure is. present in said chamber and subsequent to the initial discharge of air from the nozzle. Y v

2. In a hand portable and operated atomizer for spraying liquids, a liquid container, a head mounted on the container,v a discharge nozzle on one side of the head, said headhaving an air passage leading from an' air pressure' supply source to said nozzleand a liquid passage leading from the bottom portion of the receptacle to said nozzle, a valve normally closing said liquid passage, and means acted on by air in its passage through the air passage to said nozzle and subsequent to its initial discharge froml the nozzle to effect an opening of said'valve when a predetermined pressure is present in the nozzle.

3. In a hand portable and operated atomlzer for spraying liquids, a liquid container, a head mounted on the container, a discharge nozzle on one side of the head, said head having a plunger receiving chamber in its upper portion, an air supply passage leading from a source vof air supply through said chamber to said nozzle with its outlet froml the chamber restricted rela-v tive to its inlet and having a liquid passage leading from the interior-bottom portion ofthe receptacle to said nozzle, a valve in and normally closing said liquid passage, and a plunger in said chamber having operating connection with the valve down through a portion ofthe head, saidV plunger being responsiveto predetermined air pressure in said air passage to open said valve.

JOY B. SCHlVIITT. 

